There are no teams on bye in Week 8 to throw a wrench into fantasy football manager’s lineup plans, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth scouting the waiver wire. Injuries are an unfortunate part of the game, and if you happen to be impacted there should be more than a few ample fill-ins available in fantasy leagues.
If you happen to find yourself in a 10-team league, you may even have a better shot of picking up the best names outlined below.
Week 8 Fantasy football waiver wire pickups in 10-team leagues
Kareem Hunt, RB, Cleveland Browns
Rostership: 47.0% ESPN
Perhaps it was bound to happen sooner rather than later, but Hunt appears to be on track as the Browns’ RB1 for the foreseeable future. After Jerome Ford exited the game with an ankle injury, his status remains up in the air in the short term. Hunt is more than a capable fill-in option, and he’s logged PPR fantasy performances of 16.1 and 15.1 points respectively over the last two weeks.
Rashee Rice, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
Rostership: 46.7% ESPN
Rice’s breakout season may finally be coming to fruition after another strong outing in Week 7. The rookie wideout caught five of his six targets for 60 yards, while he connected with Patrick Mahomes on a six-yard receiving score. The end result was 17.0 PPR fantasy points, easily marking a season-high and continuing a trend of three-straight double-digit fantasy performances.
Sooner rather than later, Rice could be elevating himself into WR2 territory within Kansas City’s high-octane offense, behind only tight end Travis Kelce. If anything, Kelce’s gravity in the open field should give for some easy opportunities for Rice.
Josh Downs, WR, Indianapolis Colts
Rostership: 34.5% ESPN
Downs finally put together the breakout week that prospective managers were looking for, which means this may be the last time you can snag him off the waiver wire. The Colts’ rookie wideout was averaging more than 10 fantasy PPG prior to Week 7, and then with Gardner Minshew in tow, Downs went off for 23.5 PPR fantasy points.
If Indianapolis plays from behind often, it means Downs will carry excellent fantasy upside in a pass-happy offense for the foreseeable future.
Tyjae Spears, RB, Tennessee Titans
Rostership: 34.4% ESPN
Spears and the Titans are fresh off their bye week, which means it may be one of the few opportunities for fantasy managers to add him to their rosters. The third-round pick could be primed for an expanded role soother rather than later, as he’s averaging 5.5 yards per attempt alongside 2.5 receptions per game.
As the cherry on top, Spears has logged more offensive snaps than Derrick Henry in three of Tennesse’s six games this season.